How to Live as a Fencing Genius Hunter - Chapter 18

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How a Fencing Prodigy Lives as a Hunter
Chapter 18
New Hunter Jeong Jae-ha (4)
Su Seong-min, a scout for Saebyeol, smiled with satisfaction from her office chair.
“You seem to be in a good mood?”
“Yeah. Got Jeong on board. He starts tomorrow.”
“Congratulations.”
“He said he wanted to come to Saebyeol from the start, but I was worried for nothing.”
The guilds that had made fortunes from Magic Stone mining spent money like nouveau riche adorning themselves with luxury goods.
They gave their middle managers their own offices, equipped with secretaries and drivers.
With the economy destabilized by the Gate Crisis, high-caliber talent flooded the hiring market—so much so that even Su Seong-min’s own secretary was someone whose name you’d recognize from a major corporation.
“Are all these new recruits going to the Demon Realm?”
“Yes. If you look at the middle section, you’ll see the recruitment rate—”
“You must’ve handled the numbers fine. You know me. I don’t get that stuff.”
Su Seong-min stamped the report her secretary had submitted without even properly reading it.
“I just hope they all manage to stay alive for a while.”
Paper documents and stamps had become a custom resurrected after the Gate Crisis.
All records were now stored in a format that could be read even if the power went out.
Of course, Su Seong-min wasn’t particularly good at reading digital documents either.
To begin with, a guild’s personnel manager didn’t work through paperwork—her job was to enforce the conclusions of those documents, if necessary by using her Awakened abilities.
“How many others did you bring in besides Jeong?”
Even if it was a case of backing up to catch a mouse, she had still been the one to bring Jeong Jae-ha in.
It was why a talented executive who’d reached senior manager level at a major corporation in his early thirties before the Gate Crisis was content to serve as secretary to someone young enough to be his little sister.
“Yeah. But the Demon Realm is so intense, you know. The demons are brutal, and if even one Lava Wyvern shows up… Plus there’s Team Lead Choi there.”
“He’s still like that?”
“From what I can tell, that bastard will stay that way until he dies. If he lays a hand on Jeong, I’m not letting it slide. We’ll see who goes first—me or him.”
“You’ll probably die first. Team Lead Choi is Grade A.”
“Damn it.”
Of course, she couldn’t help but worry about the situation in the Demon Realm Gate.
“The new recruits from Murim, Cheonsa, and Cheolhyeol will start in the Demon Realm too, right?”
“Yeah. The yield there is best right now.”
The massive Demon Realm Gate wasn’t a single mining operation for Saebyeol alone.
Saebyeol, Murim, Cheonsa, and Cheolhyeol.
Four major guilds competing fiercely over the same territory.
Every guild had to send even one more Hunter, extract even one more kilogram of Magic Stone.
But the strongest Team Lead at that branch, Choi, was going around beating to death the personnel they’d finally managed to send, saying things like “That bastard’s a punk, he won’t work,” and that drove the personnel department insane.
“Just thinking about it makes me angry.”
“But don’t you think Jeong is a bit different?”
“I hope so too.”
Of course, there was no point in them worrying about a problem they couldn’t solve.
“What are people saying on Huntnet? You must’ve posted again?”
Her secretary brought up Huntnet, Su Seong-min’s hobby, hoping to lighten her mood.
“Of course.”
Huntnet was the largest Hunter community in the country.
Your rank and workplace were displayed next to your username—Hunters from small guilds or non-Awakened Hunters were looked down upon, while those from major, corporate, or public-sector guilds received preferential treatment.
[(Saebyeol B+) Seong: Salvaging decent kids from the rehabilitation duty system lol]
[Hearts 155 / Replies 315]
[Not sure if the Hall of Fame will recognize it, but if they do, he might be the shortest-career Dragon Slayer ever?]
(Jeong Jae-ha stepping on the head of the Amber Forest Dragon.JPG)
“Oh! The replies really piled up. Want to see?”
“Sure.”
The secretary gazed at the comment section, hoping Su Seong-min’s spirits would lift.
Police Agency (B) Public Bear: Shame, but hope he does well there too..!
Murim (B) Unstoppable: Doesn’t matter, he’s gonna get beaten down by Team Lead Choi in the Demon Realm lol
Cheolhyeol (B) Blood Sweat Tears: Doesn’t matter, he’s gonna get beaten down by Team Lead Choi in the Demon Realm lolol
Cheonsa (B+) Michaela: Doesn’t matter, he’s gonna get beaten down by Team Lead Choi in the Demon Realm lololol
At the top were comments from Hunters who were likely scouts from the three guilds competing with Su Seong-min, all posted in cheerful agreement.
“These bastards!”
Su Seong-min spat out a curse.
* * *
The training center’s gymnasium.
[“—–!”]
I drew a deep breath, watching Ji In-hwi’s Golems.
“Huh, ha.”
Every stray thought vanished as if cleaved by a blade, and my mind became as quiet as an empty swimming pool.
Ever since Chae-ha injured her hand, anxiety had lingered in one corner of my heart.
Not anymore.
Chae-ha was somewhere within the Saebyeol Guild, and now both she and I possessed enough strength to avoid being swept up in cruel misfortune.
Once I grew strong enough to bear her secret, we could meet again.
[“Wooooooar!”]
The Golems shrieked and rushed forward.
“Ha!”
I drove forward, pushing off hard with my right leg.
My leg had fully recovered.
Not merely matching my pre-injury condition, but performing beyond my prime.
[Jeong Jae-ha’s Exclusive Skill]
[Attaque composée]
I stomped a true stance that shattered the gymnasium floor, unleashing a barrage of consecutive strikes.
One, two, three.
Thwack, thwack. Thwack!
I pierced the first Goblin’s brow, crushed the first Orc’s eye, and shattered the second Goblin’s philtrum.
Thwack, thwack. Thwack!
Four, five, six.
I carved deep into the third Goblin’s skull, punched a hole through the second Orc’s throat, and hollowed out a Jack-o’-lantern’s cranium.
Splurt!
Seven, eight, nine.
I poured strikes into the final three without mercy.
Fwoosh!
Large and small Golems alike crumbled, dissolving into sand.
“Hah.”
I caught my breath, a satisfied smile crossing my face.
Nine consecutive strikes.
During the tutorial, I could barely manage four consecutive thrusts in a single breath.
Even at the height of my fame as a champion, I’d never unleashed more than six consecutive attacks.
The human body wasn’t built to execute full-power movements more than once in a single breath.
Awakening had strengthened my body, but the enemies I faced had grown harder as well—the relative force I needed to pour into each thrust remained the same.
This was purely the result of my own skill advancing.
I could still grow stronger.
And unlike before, even serious wounds no longer needed to worry me.
That fact was overwhelming.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
“Congratulations.”
Ji In-hwi approached, applauding.
His expression suggested there was more to say than the usual “good work on your training.”
“I think you’ll be remembered for quite a long time, Jeong.”
He extended his hand for a handshake.
“Thank you.”
I grasped it lightly.
“Everyone in camp always says things like that, but once the next batch arrives, they forget it all.”
From my experience, this was the kind of phrase that rolled off automatically, like breathing in and out.
“But no coach here will forget you.”
Yet Ji In-hwi spoke with the same sincerity I’d carried when I said those words a few days ago.
“Hong Si-yu—or rather, Director Si-yu comes from Saebyeol.”
“What?”
“I come from Cheolhyeol.”
…….
“Those were days when no one knew any better. Things that are now industry common sense were once just a few people’s experiences. Ignorant and brave ones would dismiss them outright.”
He smiled softly and reached toward his Golems.
Crack-crack-crack!
The sand composing the Golems seemed to rise into the form of a towering Estoc before solidifying with the sound of bone twisting, compressed into something unyielding.
“Among those who died in the Amber Forest were people I knew. And you—Hunter Jeong—you caused a massive explosion in that forest and killed countless Beasts for us.”
Soon the surface smoothed out cleanly, and it became a true Estoc.
“Thank you. You’ve avenged my colleagues.”
Ji In-hwi handed the Estoc to me.
I looked at that translucent orange blade and thought.
“……”
Among my own coaches, many had been forced to quit competition due to injury.
All of them had cherished me as though I were fulfilling their own dreams in their stead.
This felt similar to those moments, yet so much more poignant.
How precious it is to realize someone else’s unfulfilled wish so effortlessly.
“I’ll use it well.”
I accepted the Estoc carefully.
It was heavy enough to feel substantial even with my current strength, yet the balance was struck so delicately that it felt no burden at all.
Everything was perfect—the cross-shaped curves on the blade’s edge, the thickened center of the Estoc, the sharp edge itself.
This, I thought, was the weight of gratitude one Hunter receives from another.

“It will serve better than standard-issue gear. Use it until you can afford proper custom equipment later.”
“I will kill many more Beasts from now on.”
I bowed deeply to Ji In-hwi and left the gymnasium.
We met as coach and student, parted as senior and junior in the field.
When we meet again, I will be the superior Hunter.
Just as I always was as an athlete.
I washed quickly, packed my things, and came down to the lobby.
“There he is.”
“This bastard took down both Kang-o and Young-jun, didn’t he?”
The remnants of the Scorpion Faction averted their eyes as they saw me.
Hong Si-yu had said of them: imprisoned, they had no direct connection to the Scorpion Crew, but they were preparing for a reunion.
To catch the tail, I had to keep them alive.
Fortunately, among them was an Awakened attached to Saebyeol.
Jeong Ho-min.
[Name: ???]
[Ability: Body Enhancement (D-)]
His bearing was composed, but his eyes had a wild glint—though he wielded a longsword with skill.
“Hyung!”
My brooding over those pitiful wretches scattered like sea spray at the sound of that cheerful voice.
“Hae-il.”
It was Lee Hae-il.
“I joined Saebyeol too!”
She had volunteered for Saebyeol as well.
Her posting was the Incheon Branch Office—the same as mine.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just go into police work or a conglomerate?”
“Come on, there you’d just be Organization Member A no matter how far up you go. A Hunter on TV making a name for himself is way better.”
“Very few Hunters ever reach that level, though.”
“A genius like me wouldn’t fail to reach it, now would I?”
Lee Hae-il had been a fairly popular internet broadcaster, I was told.
“I’ll be doing ads again, getting on TV—just wait!”
Just as I yearned for the glory of victory, she had no choice but to hunger for the spotlight.
“All right. Let’s get going then.”
* * *
We left the training center and headed for Incheon.
The bus ran infrequently, so it took all day just to arrive.
I found myself missing Su Seong-min’s luxury sedan.
We arrived late at night and found lodging near the bus terminal.
“Doesn’t this place look like it’s about to collapse?”
The accommodation reflected the current state of South Korea perfectly.
“Hyung, wait—wasn’t that a cockroach just now?”
Even during the team training camp when the corrupt coach had squandered the budget, we’d stayed in better quarters than this.
I walked across the yellow linoleum floor that stuck to my feet and then peeled off with a squelch, and sat on the dust-covered bed.
“Let’s look for a place starting tomorrow. The guild starts covering rent next month anyway, so we just need to hold out a few days. A two-room place will be pricey, but I’ve saved some from coaching, so a month shouldn’t be a problem.”
I’d rather sleep on the streets than stay here.
“I, well—”
“But would you be okay sharing a room with me?”
“You don’t want to even look at me, do you?”
“No. The thing is, the shower stall here is made of glass.”
That wasn’t the only problem.
I looked at Lee Hae-il and tapped my own Adam’s apple pointedly.
“You’re a woman.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Lee Hae-il gazed at me with a look that said I had no idea what I was talking about.
“…?”
I seriously wondered if this person had lost their mind.
“…?”
But Lee Hae-il was now staring at me as if I were the one who’d gone mad.
“Um, sir. Have you perhaps never heard of internet broadcasting?”
“Internet broadcasting? Isn’t that like… a private room or something?”
At that, Lee Hae-il clapped once and nodded as if finally understanding.
“No, sir. It’s internet broadcasting. I mentioned I did that, didn’t I?”
“I know that exists, but I’ve never actually watched it. Honestly, I’m not even good with computers.”
“Well, you can watch it on your phone too… Anyway, I was actually quite famous among those broadcasters.”
“Famous for what?”
“I did all sorts of things. Games, interaction with viewers, dancing, reactions, taking on challenges—wait, I’m getting off track. The point is, my whole concept was crossdressing.”
Lee Hae-il launched into a lengthy explanation.
She used to do collaborations with other female broadcasters frequently, and crossdressing as a concept during those streams had caught on well.
Her viewers didn’t like the idea of their favorite female broadcaster actually meeting another male broadcaster, but they loved watching their favorite broadcaster experience a spark of attraction—that appealed to them greatly.
“It’s like watching a romance movie with an actress you like, sir.”
So she’d filmed a lot of quasi-romantic content, and that’s what made her famous.
“My viewers all knew I was a woman, but they treated me like a man because that was the broadcast concept itself.”
“So you never actually tried to deceive anyone?”
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say this in front of you, sir, but since I was fairly well-known among people my age… Yes. I naturally assumed you’d know who I was.”
It was a bit convoluted, but I was starting to grasp it.
“I see.”
“Really?”
“Some fighting promotions have all their athletes create characters and wear masks when they perform, right? Isn’t crossdressing kind of like that?”
“No, that’s completely different… Well, yes. Exactly! You’ve got it perfectly! That’s it exactly.”
Lee Hae-il’s face fell for a moment before she nodded vigorously.
Everything that came after, I already knew.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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